29.7.2008
By T. Farook Thajudeen
Man
who posed as government official, lawyer, director, gets
3-year sentence
A
man who had posed as a government official, lawyer, director
and several other positions and swindled people to the
tune of several hundred thousand Rupees was jailed yesterday.
Colombo
Additional Magistrate Gihan Ranawake sentenced the accused
to three years RI for committing offences by appearing
under several names and pretending to be holding posts
like Media Secretary to a Ministry, Secretary, Director
and lawyer, before being arrested by the police.
Police
arrested accused H.M. Jude Wasantha Ranjith of Akuramboda
Nagapola following a complaint made by Ports and Aviation
Ministry Media Secretary Mangala Ratnasinghe. Investigations
revealed that the suspect had also married using bogus
names like H.M. Sugathapala Herath and Wasantha Ratna
Sugathapala.
He
had allegedly collected Rs 300,000 from the Ports Media
Secretary by posing off as the Director of the Christian
Affairs Ministry. He had also promised to get the Secretary’s
son admitted to a top school.
He
also swindled Rupees one million from an Army Major to
end a case in a British court and defrauded Rs 250,000
from a Garment Factory owner promising to obtain approval
for a Garment factory from the Minister.
He
has also duped a Ports Authority officer promising to
attend to a case at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate court
and several others promising jobs and school admissions.
The
CID said the accused was an Island Reconvicted Criminal
(IRC) who had escaped from detention at the Welikada Prisons.
He is also said to be a suspect involved in several criminal
cases. Police had also recovered several forged identity
cards from his possession.
Courtesy - Daily
Mirror